Brand Profile: Timberland

Few brands conjure up images of the great outdoors as much as Timberland, with the brand producing some of the most easily recognizable outdoor boots on the market. Timberland is famed for its rugged style and hard wearing designs, which are equally at home on trails and mountains as they are for kicking around town. The yellow hiking boots for which the brand is best known are still some of the best loved outdoor footwear, chosen for the high level of comfort, excellent protection and weatherproofing and the attractive outdoor styling. The footwear offers excellent underfoot support, a highly comfortable fit, and are designed to last for years of heavy use.

Company founder Nathan Swartz may have honed his cobbling skills back in 1918, but it was not until 1973 that the Timberland brand was introduced. The original Timberland waterproof leather boots proved to be an instant hit, thanks to the injection moulded construction process which the company pioneered. The boots were made from high quality waterproof leather, with a seam sealed design without the need for stitching the upper to the sole, a weak point in many outdoor boot designs. The boots were adaptable to both warm and cold climates, used a design robust enough to serve as a work boot, and were smart and stylish enough for everyday wear. It’s no surprise that with such an advanced design and string construction that the original Timberland boots were such a success, so much so in fact that Swartz re-launched his Abington Shoe Company as Timberland. There has been no looking back ever since.

The American footwear company is world renowned for its high quality construction, and only uses premium grade leathers for its range of robust boots. Waterproof leather is used for the uppers, which Timberland impregnate with further waterproofing treatments during tanning to ensure that the finished product is certain to keep the feet dry, even in torrential downpours. When the ground becomes a torrent, the water doesn’t get in through in, with the seam sealed design creating a fully waterproof seal. Breathable membranes allows the feet to breathe, and prevents overheating, whilst in the cold weather boots Thermolite® insulation keeps the warmth in. Add corrosion resistant hardware for a long life of great looks, highly durable laces, and a robust sole, and you have a boot which will give many years of use in all weather conditions.

Whilst the boots are highly versatile, the range has since been expanded to provide that great Timberland look, but one better suited to more urban adventures. An extensive range of smart leather shoes and boots is now produced, with the emphasis on urban style rather than out and out hiking performance. The deck shoes look great with jeans and chinos or for more sophisticated urban style their oxford and dress shoes are the perfect choice for more formal wear. What the footwear offers in style is matched by performance in the hiking and walking shoe range, with robust and highly supportive hiking boots for tough terrain and lightweight hiking trainers designed for taking on the trail at speed. If it can be done in the great outdoors, you can be sure that Timberland has a wide selection of footwear to suit.

Being an outdoor brand, the shoes are highly popular for the workplace, with the original boots developed into solid work boots with steel toe caps for greater protection. However since not everyone needs such a high degree of protection, the steel toe caps feature in a range of Oxford shoes and trainers, for protection in the workplace without having to make a compromise on style. The brand has become one of the most popular high quality brands of boots and shoes for fashionable everyday footwear and for serious off-road action there are few better choices. If you want outdoor ruggedness, with plenty of urban style, even after some 37 years in production, Timberland remains the number one choice.

Steve is a freelance blogger working for www.priceculture.com, and can be found kicking around in an old pair of Timberland Euro Sprints.